Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-03-02
THE EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTHERN EU

THE EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTHERN Ell
RoPE.-The results of the earthquake oil
Wednesday last in Southern Europe art
shown by fuller intelligence, says the Bait
Sun, to have been far more serious than tht
first meagre reports indicated them to be
In the Genoese Riviera alone over 1 ,00t
persons were killed, and some 500 more
are said to have been killed in other areas
Of italy and France where the shocks wer'
severest. When the interior villages Of
Sicily and the adjacent continent have beer
heard from the total Of deaths found to have
been caused by the earthquakes of Wed
uesday will, it is estimated, hardly fall be
low $500. From the earliest period OF
authentic history the basin of the Mediter
ranean has been famous for its frequent
md destructive earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, but not since July %, 1888, has
the Mediterranean littoral experienced
seismic disturbances of like destructive
character. In that year several towns on
the island of Ischia, in the bay of Naples.
were almost entirely destroyed by an earth
quake and about 1900 lives were lost.
From December 26, 1894, to April, 1885.
the Spanish peninsula was subjected to q
long continued series of shocks, with dis
4strous effects. Altogether 745 persons
we're killed outright, Ass were injured
and II, 900 buildings were more or less de
melished. The shocks in the Novembel
following extended to the Southern coas
IF the Mediterranean, but without serious
| results. This brief catalogue of seismic
events would justify the bad repute of thu
area in question, but emitting the eruption
| from Mt. VesuVius in August, A. D. 10,
which destroyed the cities of Herculaneun
and Pompeii, and beginning our enumera
ton with the awful earthquake in Syri;
| Ind Palestine in 742, we find that down tt
he present time the countries around thu
| Mediterranean have suffered 20 times from
shocks of exceptional severity, which
caused the death of as many as 777.0O(
persons. These losses of life occurred il
Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Asia Miner, Tur
key in Europe, Greece, Italy, France
Spain, and parts of Africa adjacent Il
Spain, and if our means of information re
speeding the regions between Egypt and
| Algeria were more complete, it would
probably be found that the entire Mediter
rapean basin has at times been subjected
to the scourge which has SO often devasta
ted its Northern portions. Il has beer
maintained in some quarters that earth
quakes originate and are most freely prop
agated along lines of latitude. In sup
port of this view the fact is cited that thu
seismoscope at the signal Office in Wash
ington recorded Wednesday morning a
$50 the shock which Genoa had expe
rienced an hour and twenty minutes earlier
The shock which nearly destroyed Charles
ton and killed thirty-six persons OF
August 81, 1886, was initiated, it has beef
contenied, in the series of shocks whici
three days before had destroyed three hmm
bred lives in the Morea and the neigLbor
ing island Of Zante. Be this as it may, i
is certain that the belt of the earth inelndet
between the 35th aud 45th degrees of nortl
latitude includes the volcanic region abou
Baku on the Caspian, those of the Mediter
ranean basin, the seat of the severest shocl
of August 81, 1886, and the Japares
islands, where earthquakes arc Of almos
d lily occurrence.